Alpha Hero
by Saint Danielle
Summary: Izuku was the kind of person who always avoided spotlight. He was awkward, shy and unnoticeable. But when you become the first boy in history to have a Quirk, spotlight becomes the least of your problems.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, guys! The story is based on the bunny of blackace70 from Tumblr. I found the idea quite interesting for exploration and writing. Hopefully, you will like it just as much as I do.**

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"Even though I am a guy," his voice trembled as he struggled to speak up. It was one of those once in a lifetime chances. He needed to make it count. "Can I still become a hero?"

Izuku had always wondered what his first meeting with All Might would be.

The Number One Hero of Japan. She had been around since his mother was still just a little girl. The hero known as the the greatest hero of Japan in history. The Symbol of Hope.

Even as her young and powerful appearance fades into smoke, he felt only confusion, not losing the slightest bit of respect and admiration for her.

All Might, or Nana Shimura in her civilian identity, stood twice smaller her original height. Her lean and firm muscles disappeared, leaving weak and frail limbs in their place. Her smooth and flawless skin lost its youthful color and brightness. Her long jet black hair turned grey and silver.

She looked so much older than she appeared on TV. And she looked even more tired. And yet he still could feel her strength. Even in this fragile form, she stood ten times stronger than he could ever hope to.

She has been silent for almost a minute now. It was the moment he was waiting for all these years. To meet his Idol, the greatest heroine in the country, and hear her opinion. As the heroine stood in the bright light, would she listen and only show pity for him? Or would she say that, despite his condition, he still could be a hero?

"I am sorry."

He could feel his heart freeze, the pit falling in his stomach.

Never meet your idols. It was an age old saying. Because when you managed to really get to know your heroes, you saw that, deep down inside, they were just people. Like all the others. And, of course, they were just cruel.

"You can't be a hero."

It was the same thing he heard over thousands of times. From his teachers. From his pears. From his parents. And now he heard it from his Idol.

As the woman in her late sixties put a comforting hand on his shoulder, Izuku could hardly keep himself from crying.

"I am really sorry, young man," she smiled sadly at him, her wrinkled eyes filled with pity. For a brief moment, he could see sorrow and regret. But those emotions quickly vanished as she stood up straight. "But you just don't have a Quirk. And without one, the life of a superhero is too dangerous for you."

Yes... A Quirk...

Ever since the baby in China glowed gold in the middle of the night, people all around the world started displaying the powers seen only in fantasy and comic books. The greatest minds of the world had no idea where these powers came from or how they worked. It took years for one pattern to finally manifest itself.

Only women could have them.

While, according to multiple tests and years of research, men actually _did_ possess the necessary Alpha Plus gene, they were just incapable of using it. It was blocked. Asleep. Inactive. Which is why, despite having certain mutations, men were still just as powerless as they were almost a century ago.

And just like that, in a matter of decades, it became clear: No man could be a hero. Not to say that no man tried. There were people inspired by the western heroes like Steel Soldier or Agent Night, using state-of-the-art technology and martial arts. But, in the end, they were just people. And no matter how advanced tech was, it would be a century or two before it could compete with natural superpowers.

He had known it since he was four. Ever since he was old enough to dream about something, that very dream was crushed by the doctor, then his peers and teacher, and now, finally, by the person he looked up to the most.

He understood it was irrational. He wasn't an idiot. He should have been prepared for such answer. Heck, he had prepared himself for it million times over. And yet it still hurt. The fact that being born a boy meant he could never achieve his dream... That this dream wasn't meant to be the moment he was born.

It just wasn't fair.

None of this was fair.

"But this is not the end of the world," she whispered, trying to sound encouraging and understanding. "Even if you can't be a superhero, you can always work as a police officer or a firefighter or a doctor. Those people might not be superheroes but they still save lives, Midoriya-kun."

He had been told that before. Countless times, over and over, he had heard this already. You could be anyone you wanted. The boy with his brains could go places. He could have any career he wanted. A lawyer, a doctor, a teacher, a scientist.

He could become anyone.

Just not a hero.

"Thank you," he interrupted the woman, his voice hollow and joyless. He understood he might have sounded rude. But, as it was he just couldn't care less. He felt weightless. He felt empty and tired. He just wanted to go home. "I needed that."

"Midoriya-kun..."

He felt her hand on his shoulder. He looked her straight in the eye. And saw that pitiful look. The same look everyone gave him. The same look Tatsuki always gave him. He hated it. He hated it all!

"Don't!" he snapped, despite himself. As he regained his composure, Izuku had no will to face his heroine. Not even turning his head, he walked towards the exit and, with his voice shaking from frustration and disappointment, whispered, "I am sorry."

And just like that, Izuku said goodbye to his heroine.

 **A**

Tatsuki Bakugou always knew she was special.

She was born special. And she worked hard to rise even higher. So was it any surprise she was who she was? Some would call her arrogant. Some would call her a bitch. But she had neither time nor desire to deal with envious bastards like that.

"Tatsuki, is that true that you are going to apply to Yuuei High?"

Just apply? Please, she would crash the exam and establish from the get-go who was going to be the next Number One Hero. "Sure am. I am aiming for the top spot in the results."

"I heard they are going to make the exam extra difficult this time," another girl muttered in annoyance. I swear to God, it's not like we will need math or literature to kick the bad guys to the curb, right? "

Yeah, but you needed those to actually know something other than hitting things. Not that she would voice any of this. Knuckleheads like this one were impossible to make study unless they were in deep shit or close to expulsion. Heck, with her horrible test scores, Tatsuki would probably never see her after graduation from middle school.

She had only one more year left to spend in this shabby place. In a way, Orudera Junior High was a perfect place for her start. Not some backwaters school where you would rather catch something than learn anything. And not some uptight place like Soumei where girls would cry over a broken nail or a stain on their brand new skirt.

Orudera was that perfect mixture of mediocrity and normalcy that would make her stand out among the top hero lines. While the rest would have high-class coaches and equipment, she would climb to the top with her own strength and determination.

She would be an indisputable Number One.

"Okay, class, let's start," sensei entered the classroom, the room slowly falling silent. "Okay, first of all, let's do a quick attendance check. Aoi-"

The door slid open, drawing the attention of everyone in the classroom. She didn't really care much about who was late since the Homeroom was about as important as Home Ec classes. But her mood quickly took a fall when she saw who was standing in the doorway.

The pencil in her hand snapped in two, small smoke rising from the heat she was subconsciously applying to it. She could have sworn a few people nearby moved away. She didn't care though. Her entire focus was on that shithead she had misfortune of knowing.

Deku was your typical fanboy. Enthusiastic and delusional. Ever since they were kids and well into their current lives the fucker had no backbone, because of which the responsibility of taking care of him was pushed on her. If only her parents weren't friends with Midoriya-san, then she would never deal with the little piece of shit.

Take yesterday for example. By the time she finished her training in dojo, Midoriya-san had left over ten messages and fifteen calls. Apparently the shithead hadn't come home for almost four hours past the usual time. Guess who had to calm his mom down while the idiot was wandering who knows where? Yup, fucking her.

She wasn't his fucking babysitter or girlfriend, for God's sake!

Then, after two hours of wasting her time trying to contact him, the relieved mother called her saying that Deku was home. She barely kept herself from coming over to their house and knocking some sense into piece of shit.

"Oh, Midoriya-kun," the teach greeted him, a bit confused by the boy's late arrival. No surprise there. For all his flaws, Deku was pretty diligent with schoolwork. Now that she thought about it, she never actually learned why he was back home so late. "Please, take a seat."

She expected him to start mumbling apologies or stuttering like he always did. Instead, Deku just went to his desk. Huh, that was new. For once, he wasn't pissing her off so much. But why didn't she feel any better though?

As the class went further, Tatsuki, despite herself, kept looking at the nerd in an attempt to figure out what his fucking deal was. The class was over and she had no clue. Frustrated, she was about to leave when she overheard the small conversation between the nerd and the teacher.

"Are you sure about this?" sensei sounded proud. With a touch of pleasant surprise and disbelief in his voice. "You seemed very serious about it, after all."

She exited the room but stayed close enough to listen in. What were they talking about?

"I am, sensei," Deku whispered, somber and quiet. He sounded broken. As if every word hurt him physically. "I am not going to Yuuei."

He... wasn't going? Not even applying there? Now that was interesting. The little shit had been dreaming of this school for almost as long as her. Difference was, of course, that she would go there but while he would never even enroll in a hero course.

Was anyone else surprised she gave him that derogatory nickname? Seriously, he wasn't a kid or mentally retarded, so he should have just accepted that heroics wasn't for him. But no, the idiot just had to keep lying to himself and hurting his mother along the way.

She should have been relieved actually. After all, now she wouldn't have to worry about the fucker getting killed during the exam. In fact, satisfaction was the first thing she felt when she heard that Deku finally gave up on this stupid dream.

But he wouldn't be Deku if he didn't spoil this experience.

"I see, well, I am always happy to help you with choosing the new school, so feel free to come into my office," the teacher smiled. It was no secret sensei had high hopes and soft spot for the class clown like Deku. "You are a good kid, Midoriya-kun. You can be whoever you want."

She peaked inside the classroom, her eyes focusing on the boy in black uniform. He looked paler than normal. More tired and fragile even more so. What drew her attention specifically, however, were his eyes. They looked dull and lifeless. As if he was asleep.

"Good luck, Midoriya-kun."

Deku smiled in return too, but his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. It felt forced. Stretched and across his face like a cheap mask. It looked wrong. Unnatural.

Broken.

"Thank you, sensei."

 **A**

A week had passed since his meeting with All Might. An entire week full of changes he tried to make in his life. The changes he planned to keep.

He entered his room, taking a few extra moments to take in the change that the place went through. Where once were posters of numerous heroines, there were now just plain mind green walls. All his All Might memorabilia was gone, now collecting dust and dirt in the attic.

It felt so empty. As if something much bigger than just posters and toys was ripped out of the room. It looked much more spacious and serious, but itfelt nothing like him. Nothing like he wished it felt like.

It was ordinary.

With a heavy sigh, he collapsed on the white and mint sheets, his school bag dropping near his bad. He didn't really care about homework for tomorrow. He always could do it later. Maybe he would do it in the time he usually spent on hero analysis?

His eyes wandered off towards the small cardboard box in the corner of the room. It was the last bit of superhero junk he had left in here. He planned to burn them or throw them away. Unlike his action figures or posters which could be sold or given to some of his distant siblings, these notebooks were of no worth.

Just like him.

"Stop it," he groaned to himself. Seriously, did he enjoy putting himself down like that? Was Tatsuki right in calling him a masochist that one time? "Is that what my life is turning into?"

Self-loathing and agreeing with Tatsuki? He really was going crazy.

As he changed out of his school uniform, Izuku wondered what he would do with his life now. He had dedicated so much of his time to being a hero. And now he simply had no idea where he should go or what he should do.

The thoughts of becoming a police officer or a doctor were still strong on his mind. Then there was this part of him - this small and hopeful part of him - that kept pressing him to apply for Support or Management divisions of Yuuei. After all, if he couldn't help on the front lines, he could always lend a hand this way, right?

But he stubbornly kept pushing them away.

No matter how much he told himself that he would be happy being a doctor or a police officer or a support worker, he just couldn't bring himself to believe it. Because, in the end, it wouldn't be the same. It would only hurt him more to watch heroes so close while not being one of them.

He needed to stay away from heroics. As far away as possible.

Aoikawa-sensei said that he could always apply for a regular high school. And then, now that he no longer was busy with superheroes, he could enroll in ToGo University in Tokyo. It was a very prestigious and serious place but, according to his teacher, he could definitely get there.

Maybe that was his fate, after all? The one without heroics, villains and danger. He would live a normal, regular life.

Finish high school. Get into a nice college. Find a decent job. Save up for your own house. Meet a nice girl. Get married. Start a family. It didn't sound so bad. It was certainly a great deal better than what some people had to go through in life.

He could live a normal life. Without constantly putting himself in danger. Without worrying about villains and disasters. Normal life, stable life, it was a pretty good life, right? With his brains, he could actually have a very good life.

Normal. Peaceful. Stable. Good.

It was good life.

Then why wasn't he happy about such future?

 _"I am sorry."_

As he imagined all this life, he felt hollow and empty. No matter how hard he tried to convince himself that it was great, there was the part of him that hissed and scowled at the idea. As if normal ordinary life was poison, his entire being screamed and fought against it.

A normal high school. A nice house. A good job. An ordinary family. Peaceful life. Quiet death. Boring. Mundane. Useless. Insignificant.

Who wouldn't want that kind of life?

 _"You can't be a hero."_

He grabbed his head, groaning in frustration and anger. Stupid All Might... Stupid him! Why couldn't he just let things go? What good was thinking about something he would never be or have? He was just putting himself through unnecessary pain.

With a heavy sigh, he looked outside the window.

Maybe some fresh air would help him clear his head?

 **A**

It had been a weak since she heard the fucking turd changed his life goals. And, for what should have been the best week of her pre-Yuuei life, she watched the fucker. She waited for him to slip back into his idiotic fanboy self. To be overexcited on the Metahuman History class. Or start squealing like a girl on some pretty boy concert when they announced the new heroine.

But she got nothing.

The fucker actually meant it.

And yet she felt no better from it. That fucking-!

"I yield!" something cried from underneath her. What the- Oh right, she was in dojo. In the sparring match. With some piece of shit on the verge of tears under her foot. "Please, don't kill me!"

No way. She would have to clean the mattress for her own money.

Tatsuki tsked in annoyance as yet another sparring partner of hers crawled away in utter defeat. You know, when she took the part-time job as a coach in the dojo, she hoped for the constant challenge and pressure. And instead she ended up with a bunch of wimps who flinched every time she raised her fist.

What a bunch of pussies.

Without bothering to give the pathetic assholes any parting words, she simply sat down on the bench, the heat and the urge to blow something to pieces growing by every second. She hoped that fighting these guys would help her blow off some steam. Instead, it only made her more frustrated.

"Bakugou-san, do you have something on your mind?" Ojiro asked as he gave her the bottle of water. The guy was the son of the owner and her fellow part-timer. He was also polite as fuck, which really pissed her off. "You seem... troubled."

Troubled?

"The fuck gave you such impression?" she didn't need some sappy comment or pity. She was a big girl. She could solve her mess out herself.

"You have beaten up thrice as many guys as usual," he said blankly ignoring her comment on how pathetic and useless they were. "Also, you didn't verbally destroy them or even say a single bad word to any of them. Some guys actually asked if you were okay."

Those fuckers... They wanted verbal abuse? They got it hard from getting yelled at by her? She would destroy them. Both physically and verbally.

"Please, don't kill any of them," Ojiro said bluntly. As if she would lose the source of her income. "Instead, why don't you tell me what got you so angry in the first place?"

Where did she even start? Maybe around the time she got saddled with the useless pushover? Or around the time the fucking prick got to think she needed help from a Quirkless nobody? Or maybe that moment in her life when the asshole distanced himself from her like she never did anything for him?

And now there was this sudden change of attitude in him. For the last week, that bastard was acting like a zombie or something. Or robot, more accurately. He spoke only when spoken to. He spent his breaks just burying himself in some book or napping.

"Fuck off, Ojiro," she sniped. She didn't need anyone psychoanalyzing her and her shit. She had mom do that kind of stuff already. "Don't forget my paycheck. I swear to God, these guys pay just to get their asses kicked."

She didn't know it for sure. But there was some purple bastard that signed up just to be stepped on and squeezed by her. She made sure to beat the shit out of him with extra effort. And even then the little perv seemed to enjoy it!

Someone blocked her path.

"Hey, pretty girl," she suppressed the urge to blow the fucker's face off. He looked like your typical mugger. Shady clothing and greasy face, creepy look in the eyes. Full package in other words. "Why don't you hand over your wallet?"

He pulled out the knife. Seriously, couldn't even bother get a gun? What a dumbass.

"I won't ask nicely a second time."

She didn't need one. With just one kick, the bastard went down. Heck, it wasn't even anything special. Just good old school kick to the stomach and this fucker was groaning on the ground. He was lucky she didn't want any dirt on her record.

"You should pick your targets better, slimeball."

He grabbed her leg. With a scowl, she was about to smash the guy's head into concrete.

"Oh, I did."

Before her brain managed to process the words or how different the voice was, she was lifted off the ground and thrown into the nearest wall. As the sharp pain surged through her entire body, she had barely any time to hit back before the same greasy hand was squeezing her neck.

"Now, now, girl," the man whispered, voice silkier and huskier than she heard before. His face was sweating. His nose was bleeding. His eyes, sickly yellow and red, begged for help and forgiveness even as the cruel smirk spread across his lips. "We don't want to hurt your body, right? After all..."

Something started leaking from the man's mouth. Black and red, the slime pure out of his mouth and coiled towards her like a snake. The man's hands clenched harder on her throat, forcing her to gasp for air.

"You make such a beautiful vessel!"

The black slime darted towards her open mouth. She gagged and choked, the black substance invading her throat deeper and further. The stench of the substance made her sick and nauseous, the rancid smell of vomit rising

As the black spots started forming at the edges of her vision, as her veins burned and screamed in pain, as the villainess' giggling grew into maniacal laughter, Tatsuki experienced the feeling she had almost forgotten about.

Fear.

 **A**

"Please, come again!"

Biting into the sweet pastry, Izuku wondered if the place was hiring. Satou-san seemed like a really nice guy, even if his appearance made him quite intimidating with all those muscles. The place was relatively close to his home and it seemed in shortage of staff.

So that was his life now. An ordinary high schooler life. Part-time jobs and exams. Maybe an occasional outing with whoever he managed to befriend. It was normal. It was his niche. These thoughts made the otherwise perfect snack taste bitter.

So much for a breath of fresh air.

The sudden explosion startled him, several car alarms going off almost unstantly and people screaming in panic and confusion. And yet so many of them, himself included, ran towards the source of explosion.

Was it some sort of sadomasochistic drive in them? Kind of like seeing the car crash sight. You know that people might have died and yet you still try to get a glimpse of the scene. They knew that whatever had caused it could be dangerous. They knew that people could or must have got hurt. And yet their curiosity drove them forward towards the danger.

He expected all kinds of scenarios. A bomb. A car explosion. Some villainess going crazy. Or just a little kid with Quirk too powerful for her age.

He never expected to see his childhood friend among the burning debris and wreckage.

 **A**

Mizuchi has always feared fire.

Ever since she almost died in the flames, she feared it as strong as death. But all fears had to come to an end and so, once she reached the age of fifteen, she enlisted in the Mutsufasu Fire Department. She fought against and conquered her fears, eventually becoming the official hero and representative of the local fire division.

Her colleagues often likened her to the force of nature of her own. Determined. Strong. Fearless. But only a handful of them knew that every time the major fire broke out, she prayed. Even if she no longer feared fire like before, there were still times when she was reminded why she used to fear the fire.

Today was one of those days.

Another explosion shook the air. Whatever debris flew were caught on fire. The blaze was the living beast. Thousands of mouths consuming everything in its reach. She cursed under her breath, the hotter the environment was, the harder it became to use her Quirk.

Damn it, she cursed under he breath as she kept blasting the growing fire with her tendrils. The vapour rose, the tank on her back growing lighter with each passing second. At this rate, she would be out in minutes.

Kana Woods and Stronghold were helping in securing the civilians but right now she and handful of sidekicks were the only heroes available to fight the growing fire. It would take Al least an hour before the fire trucks arrived and by that time it would be too late.

"What happened, Ms. Hero?" someone asked from behind her. She turned around, ready to get the civilian out of the danger zone. Only to freeze in shock. This girl... She was behind all of this! "You look unnerved. Everything okay?"

She didn't eat the false innocence fool her. The girl acted way too calm and collected for someone caught in the middle of the fire. Without a second thought, she pointed her gun at the girl and blasted her with water. It pushed the girl back, the crystal blue liquid tightening around the girl's body like a rope.

"Ouch," the girl yelped mockingly. "What kind of hero are you, attacking an innocent bystander?"

"Shut it," she scoffed, glaring at the girl through her visor. She looked... weird. Her sclera was sickly yellow, eyes bloodshot and her skin was all too pale to be normal. Was she not in her right mind? She quickly reminded herself that, right mind or not, the girl still had to be taken in. "You are coming with me."

The blonde gave her an arrogant grin, all facade and pretense of innocence and weakness gone.

"I don't think so," she chuckled before balling her fists up. Her visor picked up the rising temperature of the girl's entire body. Her eyes widened in panic.

"Kana, Safeguard! Get the civilians away from the lines!" That was all she managed to say before the blast broke out. The scorching and burning feeling of the wave of power washed over her, eliciting a shriek of pain from her.

She rolled on the ruined road, her suit tattered and burned, the smell of smoked flesh all too familiar to mistake for anything else. What kind of Quirk was that?

"Woah..." the arsonist looked down at her hands, not bothering with her own ruined and smoking clothes. Her look of pure excitement and thrill made her sick and disgusted. "Just how much power does this brat have?"

What... _This_ brat? Her voice also sounded different. It sounded dual. As if two people were speaking over each other. One of them, the quieter one, sounded much younger. We're they dealing with possession or mind control Quirk? The voice change could always be just the side effect of the use of the Quirk and her words could be just a slip of the tongue but...

Her gut was telling her otherwise.

That made their situation even worse. If the girl was controlled by someone, it made things so much more complicated. Not only did they have no way to confirm it without the person with the proper Quirk but they also had no idea whether the parasite could be removed or control could be broken without damage to the girl.

So much for heroics being simple.

"Why are you just standing there?" the girl roared, clapping her hands together. The blast of fire and cinders shook the ground. Damn it, her powers only kept growing. At this rate, it was only minutes before she could bring down entire buildings nearby. "Aren't you going to come and stop me?"

Another blast. Another roaring explosion. More fire. More smoke. And even louder laughter.

"Or are you scared of hurting my little host?"

Helitack could only grit her teeth in frustration. It wasn't that the situation was unfamiliar to her. In numerous hero courses, possessors and controllers were listed among the most frequent villains involved in hostage situations. Their abilities varied, but the strategy was always the same. Use the person as meat shield, capitalising on the hero's duty to protect the civilians.

But that strategy could only be used for that long.

"Is everyone secured?" she asked through the transmitter in her helmet. As both of her fellow heroines confirmed that all civilians were safe, she weighed her next words carefully. "I need backup here."

She knew that it wasn't fair to the girl. Whatever they did, it would be a damage to her body. If only they had more time, they would wait for someone to help her. But they had neither time nor choice in this matter. If they didn't stop her now, more people would get hurt.

Someone had to make this call.

 **A**

"Ah?"

So three heroes were going up against her? She smiled despite herself. Up until now, she was forced to live off some homeless and poor, getting by only on their weakness and insignificance. All because of the people like this.

"Stand down," the musclehead of the bunch clashed her fists, trying to glare a hole in her skull. "Release the girl now and we will go easy on you."

Before, she would actually consider an offer. Outside of possessing people, she could hardly do anything with her power. But not anymore. Now she had some actual power. She couldn't possess the likes of All Might or anyone else of the Top Ten. However, this brat was doing just fine.

"And what if I don't?" she smirked at the trio of heroines. All of them were relatively young,inexperienced in their own ways. "We all know that you can't kill me. Not while I am inside the girl."

Even if they announced that the girl was possessed, media would eat these three alive. Her parents would sue them for whatever they had. And then they would be stripped of their licences. Oh, the very thought of such scenario almost made her want to be beaten up by them.

Almost.

"Now then," she dusted off her hands. "shall we start?"

She had only time to raise her hands before the hippo of a woman charged at her. She could only grin in excitement as her new body jumped back with spectacular grace. With the same speed and finesse, she grabbed Lifeguard by her hair and pressed the palm against her face.

"Good night!"

Even though the blast was powerful, she doubted the famous tank would go down easily. She needed to blast her some more for good measure!

"That's enough," the thick and hard tendrils coiled around her stomach. With the sudden force, she was pulled back and slammed into the nearby wall. She hardly felt the pain but her host certainly would feel it. "Release your hostage immediately. Otherwise, I shall show you no mercy."

Argh, Kana Woods and her theatrics. How come people actually liked her? Her Quirk was tough though, she would give the heroine that. The branches were as moving like living things and, once they hardened, were a pain to break.

But burning was a different story.

"What the-" Kana had only time to say that before she released the explosion from her entire body. Her ears were ringing and bones were aching from the sheer force of it. But other than that, she felt not even a fraction of what her host was going through.

If there was one thing she liked about her power, it was how little damage she actually sustained. She could wreck the host's body and leave it without getting a scratch. Something she planned to get the full advantage of.

"Kana!" Lifeguard rushed to her friend's side. Oh right, wood and fire didn't mix well. What was that idiot thinking about? "You'll pay for this!"

No. _She_ wouldn' girl she took over would take the fall. She would be tried. She would found guilty if indirectly. And she would walk away and disappear in the crowd.

But only after she brought down a few more buildings.

She felt the heat rising in her stomach.

Heroes stepped back.

Someone screamed.

"TATSUKI!"

 **A**

Tatsuki Bakugou was the only friend Izuku ever had.

Their moms were close friends and often got them to play together. Up until the age of four, they were inseparable. She would play the hero. And he was her loyal sidekick. Those were probably the last days when they could be considered friends.

But then things changed.

He wasn't sure what changed and why. But one day they just stopped hanging out. She no longer wanted to play with him. Or even talk to him. As the years went by, she grew from his friend into one of the worst bullies in their school.

She was arrogant and self-centred. She saw herself as the top of the food chain and acted like one. She was a lot of unpleasant things.

But she wasn't a monster.

For as long as he remembered, Tatsu was always short-tempered. She could blow off at the slightest provocation and showed zero restraint when it came to dealing with problems that could be solved with raw strength.

And yet, seeing her like this, laughing at the destruction and fire, felt wrong. No matter how he looked at it, this person just couldn't be Bakugou Tatsuki that he knew. Tatsuki that he knew would never hurt so many and destroy so much.

Someone had to help her.

Before he even realised it, he was running right into the center of danger.

His entire being told him to stop. His mind tried to justify running away. Away from the girl and leaving her to be dealt with by professional heroes. The images of the girl tormenting him, bullying him, bossing him around resurfaced in his memory. Her harsh words and insults kept replaying in his mind.

But those thoughts were overshadowed by his other memories - memories of the girl strong enough to change the world. To never lose. To be a hero.

And with those memories, he rushed past the lines and right towards the battle, ignoring the shouts of the people behind. He had no idea what pushed him to do that. It was suicidal. It was stupid. He knew just how dangerous it was.

But he decided to put his faith in his childhood friend.

"TATSUKI!" He cried out in an attempt to reach out to her through whatever kept her under control. She was stronger than that. "Snap out of it!"

The girl looked back at him, the whites of her eyes regaining their normal light colour. She seemed to be struggling. Fighting against whatever was in control. Her expression changed from excitement and bloodlust to confusion and pain. "D... De... Deku..."

It was working. It was actually working.

"G-ge... ay-"

What? "Tatsuki, what is happening?"

He looked at her closer. His eyes widened in fear at the sight of black veins cracking all over her skin. Her sclera turned black and eyes turned red, the expression of pure rage set in her scowl as she whispered, "Deku..."

He looked at her in fear, wondering what her next words would be.

"I am sorry."

Those were the last words she spoke, regret in her eyes but the cruel smirk on her lips. He heard the heroes yell for him to run. But he could only sit and watch. There was an explosion. Then the rush of heat.

And nothing but the black.

* * *

 **Aaand that is the first chapter done. As you saw, the premise is quite simple: Girls have Quirks, Boys don't. However, I plan to expand on the idea. How does that affect society? What about male heroes who want to help but can't? And the likes.**

 **All suggestions on Quirks, characters or pairings are welcome!**


	2. Chapter 2

**And here I am, with the brand new chapter. Thanks for all your reviews and support for this story. I am grateful for all your kind and supportive reviews. Special thanks goes to FoxOnPie. You know, man, gotta be honest here.**

 **You rock. I mean, really, your reviews can be really thorough and insightful, especially when it comes to giving valuable advice for improvement. Hope to see the same from more of you guys. Any piece of advice or feedback or praise is cool.**

 **Anyway, just a quick question, since not all of Class 1A characters are genderbent, which characters should fill in the six spare places? Any suggestions are welcome.**

* * *

Nobody is born equal.

Some people are born smarter. Some are born stronger. Some are born richer. You could work harder than anyone else. But in the end, you could never fight your own nature. None of the people were ever created equal. Just like everything in nature, it was a simple truth.

One single empirical truth.

 _"Tacchan, when we grow up, can we work together as heroes?"_

Boys can't be heroes. It wasn't an insult or a bigoted opinion. It was just a fact. Simple and empirical truth. It wasn't prejudice or some twisted discrimination. It was just the nature. Pure Genetics. And nothing more.

Was it sad that the boys like Deku could never be heroes? Yes. But what could anyone do about it? In the end, it was their responsibility to accept this fact and move on like the rest of them did before.

 _"I don't care that I don't have a Quirk! I will become a hero no matter what!" he looked her way, hopeful and excited. He wanted her to speak. To say that he was right. That he could be a hero. "Right, Tacchan?"_

He wanted her to lie. He didn't want to face the truth. All he wanted was just hear someone say he could be a hero. If she was a stranger, she would do it. She would lie to his face and say he could be a hero if he tried.

But she was his friend. And friends only said the truth.

Sooner or later, all of them had to grow up and face the reality. And reality was that the boys, no matter what they did, could never be superheroes. They could use whatever tech or drugs or training they got their hands on, but it would never be the same as natural Quirks.

Deku was a boy.

Deku couldn't be a hero.

 _"Why do you do this?"_

It is the first time he yells at her like that. He is crying. But those tears are more bitter, filled with anger and hatred. His cheek is swelling and reddening. It is the first time she used her Quirk on him. She can't even remember why she did it or how situation escalated to this.

Was it so hard to accept the truth? He couldn't be a hero. Then why did he keep bothering her and the other kids? Why couldn't he just fucking grow up like the rest of the boys did? Was he just that stupid?

 _"Why do you hate me so much, Tatsuki?"_

It was that day when she saw Deku for who he really was. He wasn't a kind and shy boy. He wasn't an idealistic idiot or a kid who wanted to do good. There was nothing good or noble in his desire to be a hero.

He was just a selfish brat who wanted to play hero.

He could be a doctor and save lives. He could work as a police officer and protect people. He could get rich and help people through charity. But it just wouldn't be good enough for him, would it? Those jobs would never garner him the same attention and worship as being a hero would. That was why he wanted to be a hero.

But whom would he help?

He was weak. He was vulnerable and cowardly. He could never protect anyone. What was his plan anyway? Learn some martial arts? Get some tech? None of those things would mean shit when facing people with powers!

People who relied on him would die. He would die if he entered the world of heroes. He would die and leave his family behind because of his selfishness. Why did he want to be heroes so much? Because of his pride? Some childhood bitterness and desire to prove everyone wrong?

That was idiotic.

And now, because of how fucking selfish he was, he was going to die.

"Tatsuki?"

She looked him in the eyes, the mixture of regret and anger boiling in her blood. He was a fucking idiot. Why did he have to get involved? Why did he have to play a hero? Why couldn't he just accept the reality and move on?

"I am sorry."

She looked Deku straight in the eyes and watched them widen in fear. He screamed something. He reached out towards her as if he could do anything. And then, before she could push the retard away, there was heat.

Her blood curled at the intensity and volume of the shriek that Deku let out. It was one of the strongest of her attacks. Every once in a while, alone in a junkyard, she would test it out on whatever was strong enough to take it. Steels doors, trucks, entire hills of metal and concrete. All were reduced to the piles of ashes and cinders.

And now it hit Deku.

At point-blank range.

The time slowed down as she watched his body fall. His skin was scorched black, patches of it flaying off and displaying burnt red muscles. His clothes were practically molten into his flesh, the revolting smell of flesh mixing with burnt fabric. His hair completely burnt off, Deku's face was nothing but a skull with pieces of meat and skin patched all over.

And his eyes...

The haunting look of false hope would always be set in those empty and lifeless eyes.

And just like that, with no meaning or worth, Deku died. By her own hand.

"Y-You..." she heard Helitack whisper. "Monster!"

She said nothing, eyes locked onto the black and red corpse of her friend. She couldn't say anything even if she wanted to. The pro heroes rushed towards her. She could see that they had enough. That she would be stopped no matter what.

And she hoped they would.

Tatsuki knew that she wasn't a nice person. Maybe it was because she hated pretending or lying. Maybe because she just liked talking how she felt. Regardless of the reason, she wasn't a nice and polite person.

But that didn't mean she was a monster. They shared one mind. And although she couldn't break the control, she could hear the thoughts of the parasite. She knew what the bitch in control of her body was going to do. She knew of the destruction and death she was going to cause with her hands.

The scorched body by her side proved that much.

Deku was dead... Scorched, burned and roasted alive. He would never come back. God, what would happen to his parents? They loved him so much. She told him he should have stayed away from heroics. That he would only risk his life. And now... Now he was dead because or his fucking bleeding heart.

It was only their rotten luck that these three were the heroes caught in this situation. Lifeguard was a pure strength hero. Helitack produced and manipulated water. And Kana Woods had plants as her main weapon. Against her explosions and, as a consequence, growing fire, these three were possibly the worst combination of heroes.

It wasn't the only problem, however. Physical exhaustion could be overcome if only for a brief amount of time. What truly weakened the emotional and psychological fatigue.

And what was more demoralising than watching a defenseless kid burn alive?

Heroes were pushed back. Streets were scorched and burned. The heat kept rising, making her sweat more. And the more sweat she produced, the more destructive her powers became. At this rate, it would an hour maximum before she had enough power to bring down buildings with one strike.

She tried to fight against the control. But her body was weak. So weak from all the damage it sustained by this point. Her mind was no better. She was a mess. A complete and total fucking mess. She didn't have any willpower left. She had only one thing: rage.

And so she raged. She screamed. She roared. Deep within her mind, locked into the furthest corner of her consciousness, she tore and bit and clawed through the endless darkness. It wasn't about taking her body back anymore.

It was about making the bitch scream.

But she only laughed at her impotent rage. She drank in her despair and anger as she continued abusing her power and body. One after one, the heroes fell. On their knees, exhausted and broken, they could only glare and grit their teeth in frustration and anger.

"So you don't have the guts to kill me, after all." the parasite chuckled, raising her hands. "No wonder heroes like you fall dead like flies. You are just too weak to do what we are more than happy to do to you. But hey, better life for people like me, right?"

She could feel the heat rise in her body. Her bones shook and ached, muscles burning and begging for a breather. But it her who needed it, not the parasie. As long as her body could produce sweat, the bitch cared little for how much the abuse damaged her.

"Make sure to drink this one in, heroes."

There was the surge of heat through her flesh.

"Say your prayers."

Sparks flew from her body, smoke and steam rising.

"And go to Hell!"

She felt cold.

Not an instant drop of temperature but rather the slow and painful spread of cold. All over her skin, through her flesh, to her very bone. As if all the heat was drained from her arm, her limb went numb and rigid. Shaking, she looked at her arm, the faintly glowing limb attached to it.

Then she looked at the owner of the hand.

Both of them froze.

 _Impossible._

That was the thought that ran through their collective mind as they stared at the dead standing and grasping their hand.

It was Deku. Alive and standing on his own two feet. His body, still torn and burnt and battered,started... healing? The patches of black and scorched skin were falling off him like dry clay, the new and still pink skin and flesh taking their place. The scarred and torn tissue of his arms and legs grew.

Her initial shock only grew as she saw the light flare coming from him. It was weak and pale but it was there. Golden yellow lines spread all over his skin like pulsing veins. The faint red flared from deep within his chest. And his eyes shone white gold. It looked like a... No, it couldn't be.

A Quirk... Deku had a Quirk. But that was impossible!

 _And a dead man walking and breathing was?_ She barked at herself. But it sounded so weak. So unlike her. All of this was just too much. Too much for her to stay calm and rational. _Could it be... that Deku has a Quirk?_

"Tch," the parasite scoffed. With a slight force, she tore her arm away and glared at Deku. "Aren't you supposed to be dead, kid?"

No answer. This unnerved her. Both of them. Any lack of emotion on Deku's face as he stared at them made the parasite uneasy. Especially since she had killed him only a few moments ago.

"Are you going to just stand there all day?" Despite the bravado, Tatsuki knew she was panicking. Even the dumb bitch like the parasite knew that something was wrong. She could feel that, whatever she stood against, wasn't to be taken lightly. "Or are you going to fight me?"

There wasn't nearly the same amount of confidence in her voice. Because she had no idea what she was standing against. What she was dealing with was unnatural and, therefore, intimidating. With the roar, she unleashed the series of explosions and blasts into his face. But it did little to ease her fears.

In fact, watching him just stand and take it only made things worse.

So she raised her hands again, ready to keep blasting Deku until he was nothing but a pile of ashes. Something didn't feel right from the very start. There was no power. No strength. The air around them cooled down, her sweat freezing on the spot. The parasite balled her fists again and again. But to no avail. She couldn't feel any power in her body. As if every bit of warmth was sucked out of her, leaving only this numbness and cold.

She could hear the parasite breathe. Heavy and panicking. It must have been very terrifying. To have so much power at your hands and find yourself weakened by someone's sheer presence.

She was feeling the same way.

Deku stepped forward, with the same serene expression as before. He said nothing. His eyes, pure white gold, just looked at her with no emotion. No anger. No fear. No sadness. Nothing.

He walked towards them, the nearby fires coiling and flying towards him like snakes. And as each bit of flames went into his flesh, she could see the glow grow stronger. The bright red light in his chest grew brighter and his skin looked less and less humane.

"S-Stay back!" she threw her fist, hoping that at least a spark would come out. But none appeared. She took a step back. She stumbled and fell. "D-Damn it, I am telling, get the fuck away!"

She, on the other hand, was the collection of all the worst emotions one could experience during the battle. Fear. Confusion. Panic. Anger.

"What are you?" she whispered. "What the hell are you?!"

Tatsuki felt something boil in her stomach. Her stomach... She felt it again. Though happy at first, she soon doubled over in pain as the said something boiled even hotter and started going up her guts, cutting and eating through her in all but literal sense.

She let out a scream, the pained and relieved sound as the parasite escaped through her mouth. The wave of black slime with red eyes and yellow fangs and teeth hovered above Deku, its expression twisted in anger and hunger. It was clear what she wanted now.

Tatsuki was exhausted. Her body, now cold and numb, was too weak for the parasite to benefit from. With no parasite in her body, Tatsuki felt all the pain and damage inflicted on her body. She felt her bones fracture and breathing, her muscles tore and ached, her body bleeding in so many places she didn't feel up until now.

She was useless.

But Deku wasn't.

The parasite screeched in hundreds of diferent voices and lunged forward. There was the predatory glint in those eyes as she reached towards the greenhaired boy and opened her giant mouth.

But there was no reaction from Deku. He just stood in front of the towering and advancing monster, his expression not serene or calm but blank and confused. As if he had no idea what exactly was happening around.

"You are mine!" the parasite cheered as her slimy flesh wrapped around the hero fan. She immobilised him, cutting off his air supply with her own body. And as the boy sinker deeper and deeper into her, she laughed.

But among the loud cheering and laughter, Tatsuki heard something else. So quiet and calm that it should have been unheard. But there it was. Cutting through the noise and screaming like a knife through flesh.

 ** _"Enough."_**

It looked like a scene in slow motion. The smallest bit of gold shone through the black of the slime. But then it grew. Bigger. Brighter. Stronger. And as more and more light spread, the parasites expressions changed one after another.

Surprise into confusion. Confusion into frustration. Frustration into anger. Anger into panic. And panic changed into fear.

Her vision grew blurry, dark spots spreading across the corners of her eyes. She wouldn't see what happened next. She wouldn't know if the villainess was dead or arrested until she was found - if she was still alive by that point.

But that expression of fear on the villainess' face and victorious smile that was on Deku's face?

Those she would never be able to forget.

 **A**

When Inko first took newborn Izuku in her arms, she could only gasp in shock at how small and fragile he looked. She told herself back then that, no matter what happened, she would protect her son from all thepain of the world.

She couldn't keep her promise.

She did all she could but that wasn't enough. Because, as much as she tried to protect him from harm, she never could help him with the pain and disappointment over his future. The things that he would never be able to do no matter how hark he worked for them.

Being a superhero.

It was the life he wished he could have. The future he dreamed of up until today. And yet... As much as seeing him smile was important to him, this future was the last thing she wanted him to have. Inko didn't want this dream to become a reality.

Heroes were icons. They protected, saved and inspired people for so many things in life. There was no doubt in her, or anyone's heart, that heroes were important.

But she would never let her child become one.

It was just too dangerous. Too risky and unpredictable. Even those born with Quirks were never truly safe. It wasn't just armed robberies or burning buildings that they fought against. Natural catastrophes, terrorist attacks, monsters and madmen running and plotting against the peace of the society. Those weren't even the scariest part of what being a hero meant.

How would Izuku feel when he couldn't save someone? When somebody got hurt because he was too late to arrive or too weak to do anything? And what about his normal civilian life? His friends? His family?

Inko knew all too well how hard it was for some heroines to live a normal life. Those with families had it especially hard. Her grandmother, a respected if not famous heroine, spent much more time fighting crime on the streets than taking care of her own children.

As a result, she was rarely home. Whenever she was home, she was always anxious,as if every second she spent with them could cost someone a life. Dad was always on her side, cheering her up whenever mom wasn't home or missing another birthday of hers. But even as a child, she could see that he was just as miserable and worried as her.

She understood that her mother was helping people. And she tried her best to be happy and proud of her mother. After all, what were a few missed birthdays compared to saving the town and people in it? Mom would always come back and they would always be a family,she used to tell herself.

Until the day when she didn't return.

 _"This is Daikaku Miyagi, here with an update on Mutsufasu City Incident."_ the man in his late forties looked at the camera, his expression stoic and calm. _"As many of you remember, two days ago, Mutsufasu City, the country's main residence of heroes, has experienced the biggest act of terrorism in the last five years. The culprit, now identified as Kaoru Bajiru, is currently under arrest and awaiting trial."_

Numbers were displayed on the screen behind the man. Five people confirmed dead. And around fifteen more injured or missing under the ruins of buildings.

It was a tragedy like this that took away her mother. And wasn't it ironic that Izuku ended up in one as well?

 _"However, the untold amount of destruction wasn't the most shocking news of the Incident. According to the reports from several witnesses and professional heroes, a young man, now identified as Midoriya Izuku, displayed a Quirk and used it to apprehend the villainess and extinguish the nearby fires. We have invited Nemuri Kayama, AKA The Nightwatch Heroine: Midnight, to join our discussion on the topic of this Alpha-Y manifestation. Nice to have you here, Kayama-san."_

 _"Good morning, Miyagi-san. A pleasure to be here,"_ the woman dressed in black suit smiled at the host. Inko could remember her as the one who brought her here to this place.

Lazarus Clinic was the country's top medical facility. Every piece of the latest technology was delivered here first. The place hired only the top graduates of medical institutions and Quirk research centers to ensure that the heroes of their country were always in their best condition.

But what this place prided itself in the most was its secrecy. Heroes wanted to appear invulnerable. Everlasting and unbreakable. And that is why many of them went to be treated here. The only place in the entire nation where they could be weak.

And now her son was here, unresponsive ever since the incident.

For the last two days, there was no change. While his vitals remained stable, the doctors refused to share anything until they were through with all the necessary procedures. The fact that she was kept in the dark about her only child's health was driving her crazy.

 _"But it's not like this is the first time we had this groundbreaking discovery, right?"_ The host said with a bit of scepticism. The screen behind him flashes, several images of men from all over the world displayed. All of them wore superhero costumes and, seemingly, possessed superpowers. _"Pardon my lack of faith, but haven't we dealt with accidents like this before?"_

 _"Are you saying that Midoriya-kun orchestrated the entire thing and somehow faked having a Quirk?"_

 _"No, what I am saying is that the heroes on sit have been fighting in extreme conditions and were exhausted. The heat, the panic and the amount of destruction have taken a toll on them and made them see things that weren't there."_

 _"But what about the fires? There were a lot of witnesses that claim the boy absorbed the flames before collapsing."_

 _"While I don't dismiss the witnesses' claims, we should all remember that we, as people, always see things that we want to see. For all we know, it could have been a work of some other heroine that decided to remain unknown."_

 _"Miyagi-san, pardon me, but you sound almost like you don't want to believe in a boy having a Quirk. While unheard of until today, it is no secret that males do have the necessary Alpha Plus gene. The only problem is the matter of its activation."_

 _"And many have tried activating it before,"_ the man countered _. "For almost a century by now, people have used methods from radiation exposure to chemical baths to deliberately endangering themselves. And none of those methods worked. However, if he is the first male superhero, then I can wonder how much he has ahead of him."_

 _"Indeed. The numerous news stations are already going through every bit of the boy's background and are interviewing every single soul that might know anything about him. And that is only now. Imagine the kind of spotlight he will find himself in should the tests of his Quirk come in positive. "_

They wouldn't. They couldn't. No matter what heroes or those people saw, she knew that her child didn't have any power. She prayed to every deity that would listen that he didn't.

It was selfish, she knew that. But she prayed from the bottom of her heart that it would all turn out to be some sort of misunderstanding. Some fluke or mistake on the heroes' part. She hoped that her son was normal.

"Midoriya-san?"

Chiyo Shuzenji. Recovery Girl. The only person right now who could make all her worries go away with just a few words. One of the top healers of the country stood near her, the expression unreadable mixture of emotions.

"Good morning, Shuzenji-san," she greeted politely, though hardly keeping her anxiety in check. She took a deep breath in. "H-How is Izuku?"

There was a pause, the elderly hero seemingly choosing her words cautiously. Before Inko assumed the worst, however, the heroine finally spoke.

"He is awake, Midoriya-san."

Awake? That was great. That was good. And yet it wasn't. She didn't say he was alright. Or that he was Quirkless. He was just awake. If things were good, then why did she have this sinking feeling in her stomach. "I-Is he alright? Please, tell me that he is okay!"

Another moment of silence. Another reason for her anxiety to was something else. Something the heroine didn't want to say. Could it be? No, it had to be a mistake.

"Is he...?"

Quirkless?

Powerless?

Normal?

The elderly woman didn't reply. It was clear as day that she knew what was going through her mind. The realisation made Inko weak in her knees, her world spinning. No... It had to be a mistake. It just couldn't be true.

"Please, come with me."

 **A**

Izuku never saw himself as a lucky person.

He was born in the world of wonders, with no opportunity of ever becoming one. No matter how hard he tries, the world kept reminding him that he could never fight his nature. His dream forever unattainable because of being born with Y-chromosome.

And yet, maybe someone up there felt pity on him?

Izuku Midoriya looked through the papers, his heart beating faster with each positive mark inside small cages. No, none of this could be true. It had to be a mistake. It just couldn't be possible. And yet, no matter how many times he checked the results over and over, it all remained the same.

All the results were positive.

"I... have a Quirk?"

Could it be? No. No, it couldn't. He squashed whatever excitement and hope he had. No, it just wasn't true. It was impossible. No man could ever have Quirk. Let alone him. It was just a mistake. Another joke.

Right?

"T-There has to be some sort of mistake," he looked at Recovery Girl, the veteran hero. She was old, she could have accidentally mixed his papers with the results of someone else. "I-I... It's impossible. I am a guy, I can't have a Quirk."

He wouldn't fall for it. He wouldn't let himself believe that he could be a hero. It was a mistake. Yes, it was just a mistake. A small mistake on some doctor's part that all but him would have a good laugh at.

"I assure you, Midoriya-kun, there was no mistake. Trust me, we checked every single piece of equipment and sample of yours over ten times." the elderly heroine spoke, her voice showing just how little she believed her own eyes or words. "All of them are in perfect condition and all of them confirm one thing: you have activated your Alpha Plus Gene."

No... It wasn't true. It just couldn't be true.

 _"I am sorry."_

Everyone said he couldn't be a hero. Mom. Dad. Tatsuki. Even All Might. It was his nature. Nobody could change that. Nobody.

 _"You can't be a hero."_

He could never be a hero.

"Are you absolutely sure about it?" Mom asked in an unusually serious tone for her. Izuku tore his eyes away from the pile of papers and looked at mom. Her usually soft eyes hardened as she looked at the healer. "Please, tell us, are you absolutely sure that this isn't some mistake?"

There was something in her voice. Something that Izuku wanted to have right now. It was hope.

"Your son has been dead for several minutes, Midoriya-san." that shut both of them immediately. He was dead? But... How did he come back to life? "One of our doctors analysed his body cells and confirmed that over seventy percent of his current body is no older than a few days. Which confirms what the three heroes from the attack described to us."

"B-But... What kind of Quirk is that? Regeneration?"

"Not necessarily," Recovery Girl shook her head. "While we may not know this for certain, our working theory is that it has something to do with the manipulation or absorption of heat or other kinds of energy. This is just a theory, mind you. But, for now, this is the best guess we have."

Heat absorption? It could be possible. Mom's Quirk allowed her to attract small objects. And his paternal grandmother had Heat-treated Quirk, which could have been passed down to him through dad.

"I know this is a lot to take in," the heroine said reassuringly. "But trust me, things will work out. You just need to make up your mind on what you are going to do with your life now."

Make up his mind?

Ever since the meeting with All Might, all he could keep his mind was how he could never be a hero. And now the fate threw him a genuine Quirk. He wasn't sure if it was a gift or some twisted joke from above.

Someone entered the room.

They all looked towards the door.

He froze.

"You couldn't let the kid process it all, could you?" Recovery Girl sighed.

At the sight of the elderly woman in black suit, Izuku felt the mixture of bitterness and disbelief course through his body.

"Good morning, Midoriya-san," the woman bowed to his mom lightly, not facing him. "My name is Nana Shimura."

The same hero he had worshipped since the age of four.

The same person who made him give up on being a hero.

"On behalf of Yuuei High faculty," she continued, still looking only at mom and not him. "I am here to extend an offer to join the Department of Heroics starting from next year."

* * *

 **And that's it for today!**

 **Izuku gets the invitation into Yuuei? But is it fair? Is it just? And what will it mean for him in the future?**

 **Hopefully, you weren't disappointed. But if you were, then let me know what you didn't like and I will work on it. Seriously, this is how you improve your writing after all, right?**

 **Now, as for your question, FoxOnPie, hopefully I cleared it up in this chapter. But to clarify, Quirk Combination still works the same way. It just takes one extra step of learning the man's mother's Quirk and that's it.**

 **Like always, any suggestions for pairings, plots or Quirks are welcome.**

 **Till next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! That's me being back with you.**

 **Glad to see the story growing more popular and gaining readers. You are making my grey horrible days of studying so much more fun. You know, I appreciate all your feedback and reviews BUT I just have to single a few of you out. As usual, _FoxOnPie_ is back with some valid points and praise.**

 **And then there are _Brayan Mariachi_ and _animefan29_. You guys are what I like about readers. You guys are just too smart. You totally saw the things that I was going for when building the world and its mechanics.**

 **Please enjoy!**

* * *

How would you describe your closest friend?

Usually, it would be something common like 'nice' or 'reliable' or 'fun to be around'. Bit those were the words reserved for the more normal people. Which didn't include one explosive heroine in training.

So how could he describe Bakugou Tatsuki?

Fierce. Uncompromising. Rude. Pig-headed. Hotblooded. Those were the descriptions that came to Mashirao's mind when it came to the fellow instructor. There were a lot of things that could be better about her.

But above everything else, she was a very determined person.

Ever since she stepped inside their dojo, she was dead set in her desire to prove improve herself. He didn't have all the details but it had something to do with some other girl beating her up with martial arts.

And so she trained and practiced, taking in every single piece of advice dad had thrown her way. It wasn't really a surprise when she got the job as one of the instructors alongside him.

Which is why this day felt so strange.

The incident involving her was all over the news, mostly due to the discovery of a Quirk in a boy. And even though her name wasn't mentioned as often as was the boy's, she still gained enough attention from the media due to her part in the villain attack.

The bright camera flashes and paparazzi shouting over one another wasn't as much of a surprise as the annoyance when he opened the dojo. All of them wanted to hear his opinion on Tatsuki. Or rather, they wanted something they could use for more ratings.

Mashirao didn't have a particularly high opinion of today's media. So he felt little guilt about lying to the crew when he said Tatsuki wouldn't be coming. With the reporters gone, Mashirao hoped the day would come to the semblance of normalcy.

"Again!"

He was wrong.

"Again!"

It was a late evening already, most of the students gone and dojo empty safe for the two of them. And whereas usually such situation would promise him nothing but more soreness in muscles and light bruises, today was different.

Fast and strong, her legs and arms raced towards his body. If one of them landed properly, his defence would be broken and he would find himself on the ground. But, as fast and powerful her strikes were, they were anything but precise.

Her motions were disoriented. Unfocused and lost. The fire in her attacks wasn't concentrated or powerful like before. It felt hollow and impotent. As if she kept fighting even though she had already given up.

"Die!" she roared and charged at him. She hit and kicked and punched and pushed. But none of that felt real. As if she was making herself do it. "Just fall already, you motherfu-!"

It had to end.

He ducked under her leg before grasping it into a steel grip. If it were any other day, she would use her lightning fast reflexes to not only break out but also knock him down in one kick.

But today wasn't any other day. And, in a humiliatingly simple move of a sweeping kick, she fell against the floor. The room fell silent, the air strangely growing cold. Did he overdo it? Did he hurt her too much?

"Rematch!"

Of course she was alright. Or, at least, she was determined to seem that way.

Seeing Tatsuki on the mat was unusual. For all two years that she worked here, no one, safe for him, came even close to winning a single sparring against her. She was fierce, fast and very strategic in her approach to martial arts. Her motions were sharp and efficient, not even a step going to waste.

And yet, for the fifth time today, she went down. Mashirao was confident in his abilities. He knew he could give Tatsuki some hard time if they both gave it their all. But he could never defeat her that easily. She was sweating profusely, panting like she was running nonstop for hours, her stance weak and vulnerable.

It wasn't her body that worked against her, however. When they first started, she moved and struck just like she always did. But each time, the very moment she gained the upper hand, something would go wrong. She would stand. She would fight. But just when she had an opportunity to strike him down, her eyes changed.

Determination vanished.

Victorious glint melted away.

And all that was left was fear.

And lingering shadows of trauma.

"Maybe you should rest?"

She scowled. It was the same expression that sent numerous students into cold sweat and made them seek divine protection. But to him, someone who had known her for some time now, it looked strained. More of a shield than a sword. It was her defensive mechanism. Against what, however, he had no idea.

"Maybe _you_ should shut the fuck up and fight?" she hissed and took a stance. "I am not done yet, fucker."

He was struck in the chest. It hurt so much less than he remembered. She pushed him on the defensive with fast kicks and punches. She maneuvered around his own counter-attacks. She was hitting and kicking, faster and stronger.

And then her eyes dulled and glazed over.

Her stance on the ground weakened.

She pulled her fist back ever so slightly.

With one swift kick, he struck her down.

"Shit! Fucking garbage!" she growled and punched the mat.,a small explosion burning a hole in it. She was frustrated. Angered beyond the boiling point. "Hey! Where the fuck are you going?"

Mashirao didn't react much to her swearing at this point. When you heard someone swear like a drunk sailor every time they opened their mouth, you got used to it. He knew that, for all the threats and insult, the girl wouldn't attack him from behind. If only because that was too cowardly and dirty for her. And she hated those things above all.

"Do you want some green tea or coffee?" he asked, looking through the variety of drinks in the vending machine. Tea, coffee, a few juices, and some healthy snacks. He was really happy he was the one who stocked up the machine. "Oh look, we even have jasmine tea here."

He could swear he heard something snap.

"Get fucking over here and fight me!"

Jasmine tea. Got it.

There was little wonder what bothered the hot-headed blonde. The past couple of days must have been quite the test for her with all the media attention on her persona. Some called her a victim. Some saw her at least partially guilty for the destruction. And then there were those that stalked her in vain attempt to get anything about that Midoriya guy.

But those seemed too obvious. Not the kind of things that should have bothered her that much. He could try and pry the secret out of her. But he would rather have her tell him of her free will.

"Here you go," he presented a small can of tea. "Jasmine, just like you asked."

Tatsuki glared at him but accepted the drink anyways. Both of them sat in absolute silence. Mashirao knew better than prying into whatever was going on the exploding girl's mind. She was the kind of person who tended to go further into herself the more someone tried to get into her head.

The best thing he could do was just sit by her side and wait. She would speak for herself when she felt like it.

"I sucked today, didn't I?"

There it was.

"Yes, you did," he answered plainly. There was no uproar or rage. Instead, Tatsuki looked down on the mattress with a complicated expression. For someone so temperamental, she was surprisingly aware of criticism. "You were sloppy and uncertain at the end of each sparring. And you lost your concentration right before delivering the finishing blow."

And she clearly didn't have her head in their match.

"You really know how to cheer someone up, don't you?" she chuckled bitterly. She didn't want pity o sympathy. She didn't want to be cuddled or hugged. She just wanted the truth and objective opinion. And so he always gave just that to her. "Ojiro? Can I ask you something?"

Ojiro? Not a coward? Or a plain face? Not even one expletive? She even used his last name instead of the first one? And her voice sounded so unusually calm. It didn't feel right. Despite himself, he asked, "What is it?"

She didn't look at him, her eyes focused on something away from them. Her fingers dug into a metal can of empty drink, her own inner turmoil showing. With a heavy sigh and eerie calm, she asked:

"Do you think I can be a hero?"

 **A**

Even before she discovered how powerful her Quirk was, she knew that she was above the rest of her peers. She was smarter. She was stronger. She was far more driven than the others too. No matter what she chose, she always found herself ahead of the other kids.

And, of course, such gift always attracted envy and spite. Some kids were brave or stupid enough to pick on her. Some spoke behind her back. And some just tried to glare her to death. A lesser person would crumble and submit to the crowd. But she wasn't one.

She was Tatsuki Bakugou. And she rejected things like doubt and fear. She would do whatever the hell she wanted and either reap the rewards or face whatever consequences her actions brought. She made mistakes. But she never doubted herself.

"What?"

Or at least, it used to be like this. It was funny how little it took to crush her confidence. It was even funnier that she thought herself so high in the first place. She was powerful. She was smart. She was skilled.

But she wasn't the top dog. She barely tasted what real combat was and already was in this sorry state. All her training. All her power. None of it meant shit to that monster. None of her talents or skills stopped the parasite bitch from taking control and going ballistic on the streets of her home city.

In the end, she was just as useless as the pieces for shit she was surrounded with.

"Do you have some fucking hearing problem, you jerkoff?" she growled despite herself. Ojiro wasn't such a bad guy. Much better than some fucking leeches she dealt with. "Do you think I fucking deserve to be a hero or not?"

She felt weak. She _was_ weak. Weak and helpless. That day, for the first time in so many years, she was genuinely afraid. Though she screamed in rage, she knew that deep down inside she was scared.

Scared of what the parasite would do to her and innocent civilians.

Afraid of how little she could do to stop that monster.

Terrified of how little all her power and training meant.

"Tatsuki, I am not sure I understand-"

She scoffed. Of course, he didn't understand. As much as she respected him, he was still just a boy. He would never have to fight villains. Hundreds and thousands of lives would never rest on his shoulders.

"Heroes always win. No matter what happens, heroes are always victorious. If you are weak or simply not strong enough, then you are not a real hero. You are not _the_ hero."

It was simple as that. Fighting spirit? Pure heart? Strength of will? Those worked only in manga and comic books. Nothing more than a cheap Deus Ex Machina trick authors pulled out of their asses when they wrote themselves into a corner.

"You can't be a hero."

This was the real world. And in real world, you couldn't rely on anything but your strength and skills. Power of friendship wouldn't stop collapsing building. Anguished screams of some damsel in distress couldn't bring the dead back to life. And talking to a villain about your feelings didn't magically fix their fucked up heads.

Buildings would collapse on people. The dead would stay dead. And villains would just laugh at your naivety before hurting more people.

Which is why heroes had to be strong.

Without power, heroes would always lose. And a hero losing meant innocent lives gone and ruined.

"That parasite bitch took control of my body like it was nothing, Ojiro. I fought and struggled but that meant shit to her. Do you know what that makes me?" she scowled, blood boiling. She was so angry. At that bitch. At the goddamn press. But, most of all, herself. " That makes me pathetic. A weakling."

The word wasn't unfamiliar to her.

Except she had never been called that herself. It was her who gave background characters this demeaning and humiliating designation. It was them who were supposed to be weak and defenseless.

Not her!

"What kind of hero lets some C-List shitslime control her and wreck the place?" she growled out, the empty can of tea getting blown to pieces. "What kind of hero ever needs saving?"

A useless hero. A weak hero. A pathetic hero.

"I think we both can name a few," Ojiro said calmly, ignoring the ash in the air. "Mind control, brainwashing, possession and other Quirks like that aren't exactly unheard of. Unfortunately, of course, most people born with it would use it for evil rather than good."

And what was a better way than using it on heroes? It wasn't exactly an original idea. When you thought about it, All Might dealt with all kinds of control over her throughout her career as a pro heroine.

But she always came out on top. Some shit hypnotist could take control of her. A bunch of tekepaths could play with her mind. But All Might always persevered. She always won. She would force the parasite out. She would break the hold over her mind. She would do anything to free herself and she would succeed!

Tatsuki didn't. She wasn't strong enough. And people got hurt as a result.

"Something tells me this isn't the only thing bothering you," the damn ape said in his usual calm voice. Seriously, did he have some mind reading Quirk? Deku had one after all. Who said this bastard didn't? "Could it be related to your childhood friend? That Midoriya guy?"

"Childhood pest is more like it," she scoffed. "That damn bastard... Running into the danger like he could do shit... Seriously, what the hell was he thinking?"

"I don't think he was."

Damn right he wasn't! If he was half as smart as everyone thought, he wouldn't do any of that shit. If he actually knew what he was going to do, he would stay behind and not get in the danger's way. But that little shit decided to pull one of the dumbest and riskiest stunts as if it was a walk in the park.

"He is weak, Ojiro. He has always been weak. His sudden Quirk aside, he has zero experience in fighting. His physical strength is also fucking pathetic," she stated simply, with a hint of disgust clear in her voice. If that little fucker wanted to be a hero so fucking much, then he should have trained his ass off!" He almost got himself killed! No, he actually got killed. He was killed by-!"

... by her.

"I killed him... with my own hands."

She murdered Deku.

Whatever degree of control that bitch parasite had over her, she was still responsible no matter how remotely. The boy she had known her entire life was dead. Because she was fucking weak.

"So that's what is bothering you?" Ojiro asked, his tone giving off the slightest hint of amusement. She would neat it out of him after he explained what he meant. "It isn't just about you being powerless. It is about you being unable to save that boy."

Of course she was worried about him. As shitty that little bastard was, he didn't deserve to die. Not by her hand. Or anyone else's at that. He was a nerd. A little bitch. But he wasn't horrible enough to be blown into pieces. He didn't deserve to be...

Scorched alive. Burned to the crisp. Roasted till his skin turned black and bones cracked.

"Tatsuki?"

That sickening image resurfaced in her mind. The street was burning, ruins and debris falling over and crumbling. People screaming somewhere away for help. The obnoxious cackling and laughter full of twisted enjoyment that rang in the air.

And there was the smell.

The smell of scorched meat and burnt hair. Sickening. Disgusting. Unnerving.

"Tatsuki? You okay?"

All sounds died and suddenly fires and ruins were the least of her concerns.

 _"Tatsuki... Why...?"_

Black and red. Among the grey of the ground and orange of flames, these two colors stood out to her the most. If only because of how little the body resembled Deku she remembered. Goes were the green hair and pale skin. His clothes were molten and mixed together into his black and red flesh. His flesh was all but falling from his charred bones. And his face...

It screamed of fear. Destroyed and mangled, the final expression on his face was that of absolute terror and despair.

The imagery that was haunting her ever since that day.

"I can still see it, you know. I can still see what I had done to him."

Every single night she woke up in cold sweat. Every single night she watched the same thing happen again and again. Her killing that damn idiot over and over. But as more nights passed, the less of the parasite was in her dreams.

And it was just her. Not possessed by a monster. No longer controlled by the parasite. But just her own self. Of her own will and desire, she was there.

Tormenting him. Hurting him. Killing him.

Over and over until it was _her_ begging for the nightmares to stop. Until it was her crying and begging someone for help. Help that never came until it was too late. And as those nightmares continued, she kept asking herself one very important question.

"How can I be a hero if I can't keep even one idiot safe?" she whispered in weak and lost tone. "How can I be a hero if I am so weak?"

The silence to her question was never more deafeaning.

 **A**

Shiketsu High

U.A. Academy

Power Group

Eien Gakuen

Renjiro Institution

Each of the five schools accepted hundreds of students each year. Thanks to the ties to the major support companies and the Department of Superhuman Affairs, the schools were always equipped with the best tech and gear on the market. By the time the students graduated, all of them had their entire lives planned out with sponsorship and endorsement deals awaiting them.

With only roughly thirty-five percent of the population applying for the career in this particular field, each and every student in the Department of Heroics was given any opportunity to develop their abilities to their fullest.

Anyone would kill for a chance like this.

And now Izuku had one handed to him just like that. No exam. No test. Full scholarship all the way until graduation. His own room in the dorm. Even the private training sessions with the members of the faculty!

The offer which extended to all five schools. If it was under any other circumstances, Izuku would be beyond himself from happiness. But he wasn't. He couldn't make himself feel happy once he got the full story.

Neither his parents nor Izuku himself had the right to refuse. He could pick any of the five schools but he still had to choose one of them. No other options. No compromise.

Izuku knew he was naive. But sure wasn't oblivious. As Shimura-san kept listing and explaining all the conditions he would now live in, the picture seemed less and less like his dream school and more like a prison.

Single room provided more space for constant surveillance and monitoring. Private training sessions were specifically made to keep track of his powers. She didn't say anything on what would happen if he lost control. But the implications... The subtle hints of how far they would go if his powers threatened others? They were there.

As for his parents, both of them would be placed under the same protection program that most professional heroines used for their families. Quite unfortunately, that also meant that their contact with Izuku would become very limited until the situation became less volatile.

The news was enough to drive mom to tears. What hurt her even more was that all of them had no other choice. No matter how harsh the idea sounded, it was only way that would guarantee their safety if only relatively.

There was nothing they could do about his identity as the first superpowered male going public.

The Department of Superhuman Affairs tried their best to keep things out of escalating but they weren't fast enough. Whatever footage they tried to retrieve would always float back to the surface. By this time, trying to deny his existence or powers was futile.

Whether they liked it or not, they were out in the open with targets painted on their backs.

"Midoriya-kun, are you okay?"

"Huh?"

He blinked, once again aware of the place around himself. He stayed in the hospital room for the past couple of days but still had hard time adjusting to it. Not as much because of the unfamiliarity as because of all the things going on.

"Still thinking about All Might's words?" Recovery Girl asked as the nurse placed a tray with dinner next to him. The retired heroine took a single look at the half-eaten plate from lunch and sighed. "You know, malnutrition never helped people with their problems. You should eat."

He didn't have anything to say. He never really had much of an appetite, his diet mostly consisting of either traditional food or some snacks from the convenience store. The events of the past few days didn't do any wonders to his dietary habits either.

After a few minutes of silence and half-hearted bites of rice and fish, Izuku looked up at the healer heroine and asked, "Will it always be like that?"

He used to dream of becoming a hero. He still did. But now that the reality of being the first and the only boy with powers was catching up, he found himself doubting that wish. Was it really worth it? Was him attending a hero school really worth them hiding in fear of some criminals?

"I am afraid so. Even if it won't be, you and your family will still spend years having to look over your shoulder," Recovery Girl said as she took a sip of her tea. "The heroics was never an easy profession. Even if most criminal syndicates were outmatched because of the lack of women in their ranks during the Golden Age, they still were cunning enough to hurt heroines and their loves ones."

Oh right, the Golden Age of Heroes.

The first decades since the emergence of Quirks were known for their simplicity and yet general confusion. There was no system. Heroes - then known more as vigilantes - spent most of their time going after yakuza syndicates or other organized crime groups. Crumbling and falling apart, the criminal organisations suffered even further decay during the subsequent Silver Age.

And while the majority managed to recover some of their influence and resources during the Bronze and Dark ages, they still were nowhere near the same level of power as before. Especially since the arrival of All Might.

"And now that they know about you, there is very little they won't do to have their hands on you," the medic said with a sad smile. "I know what you must be going through right now. You are worried... About your parents. About yourself. And us dumping so much on you doesn't really help, does it?"

No. No, it didn't.

"So what do you suggest?" he asked hopefully. "What do I do?"

"I wish I could say answer that, my boy,. But life never has easy answers. For any of us. You can just attend the school. None of the teachers really expect you to become a hero. Their main priority is to make sure you learn to control your power after all. So you could learn just that and move on with your life. You would always have heroes to bodyguard you so you would be safe."

Mom and dad would definitely prefer this option. Just get his powers under control and live a normal life. No heroics. No danger. Just peaceful life.

And yet...

It didn't make him happy. Just like before, the thought made him feel hollow and filled him with dread.

"Or you could change something," Recovery Girl smiled. "You have the rare opportunity to inspire others, Midoriya-kun. You are the first boy in the world with such power. Whatever choice you make, you will affect people's lives. You can be the inspiration for so many people out there. People like you."

Inspire people? Like a hero?

"Do you think I can do that?" he asked with the sight. "Because I just can't see it."

All these years, he just stood and took whatever abuse or insult his classmates threw at him. And just a week or so ago, he gave up on his dream of ever becoming a hero. Even his idol said so.

And she thought he could inspire someone?

"I don't see it either."

What? Then how did she expect him to inspire other people?

"But nobody saw that in All Might back then," his eyes widened at the statement. But that didn't sound right. Everyone loved and trusted in the top heroine. Seeing his reaction, Recovery Girl only chuckled. "Media people hate to admit when they are wrong. So it is no surprise they try not to bring up their past statements on All Might. Back then, they used to laugh at her 'Symbol of Hope'. They used to say that no hero or even a group of heroes could change so much."

She grew quiet, eyes gazing off some other place or time.

"Needless to say, she proved them wrong. It wasn't instant or even fast. It took her years of constant work and hundreds of thousands lives saved. She spent every moment she had to help people, from saving cats stuck on trees to stopping disasters and villains."

It sounded so big. So much bigger than what he could possibly do in his entire life. But why?

"Why did she do all of this?"

What could have possibly pushed her to do so much?

"What do you think?" Recovery Girl gave him a small yet somewhat sad smile. "You should ask yourself this question, Midoriya-kun: Why would _you_ do any of this?"

And with that question, the retired heroine left the room.

He wouldn't get any visitors tonight. Mom and dad were probably still busy with all the details regarding their near future. Which meant that he had all the time for himself.

All the time to make the choice. Not just between the five schools. But the choice for himself.

Whether he would settle on learning the control of his powers and then living a normal peaceful life. If he picked this one, he would be safe. He would always have heroes to fight for him and protect him. But he would feel unfulfilled. Always a load. Always someone's problem.

Or he could become one himself. His life would always be in danger. His family would become even more of a target. Him knowing how to use his powers would also draw concern and attention of the people in power. He would become a potential threat. Possibly, even a liability.

There was no going back from either of choices.

He took a long look at his past.

The kid with a dream too big to become a reality. The bullied outcast of the class. And now the world-known anomaly.

And then he took a brief look at what he could become.

 _A Hero._

He took a deep breath in and picked up his phone and dialed the number.

The choice was made.

 **A**

Aizawa Shouta wasn't a hero.

And he wasn't their avid supporter either.

They were useful,there was no doubt about that. Thanks to the heroes all over the world, millions of lives were saved and tragedies were averted. But none of that changed his mind on how dangerous their heroes could become.

Superpowered beings were threats. In his entire career, he saw things some of them were capable of. Superstrength? Speed? Shooting ice and moving earth? Those were barely scratching the surface of how powerful Quirks could be.

How terrifying their users could become.

How little the government could or would actually do if a hero was too powerful, too famous or simply too important. The amount of heroes was limited. The number of the useful ones was even smaller.

It wasn't too long before it became clear that, if nothing was done, soon heroes would ask what could possibly stop them from doing what they wanted. And finding out that, indeed, there was no such thing as limit for them.

Which is why _they_ existed.

The Tribunal was the organisation created shortly after the first superhuman attempt at overthrowing the government in Middle East. They were the public knowledge and yet made sure that none of the crucial information about them was known.

After all, while the public considered them just another way to support and aid heroes, both sides knew what exactly they were.

Contingency measure.

They took every weapon they could get hands on. They spent years training and planning. Creating containment procedures and strategies against both supervillains and superheroes alike. All just in case their heroes turned on them.

And now they had another problem to deal with. Namely, one unremarkable boy who just got in too deep with things he was too young to understand.

"Yes, I understand," he answered calmly into the phone. "Yes, I will keep an eye on him."

There were no more orders regarding the boy. But the implications and hints were there. Like many agents, he was placed into the school to keep an eye on both students and teachers. Unlike them though, he would need to keep track of the first male hero in history.

And eliminate him if he proved to be dangerous.

* * *

 **And that's it!**

 **I will be honest, I am not entirely happy with the chapter. Originally, it had like 7K+ words but stuff just kept piling on and on in it so it had to cut it down. Any feedback on the length and content of the chapter is welcome.**

 **As for the BNHA lore in this AU:**

 **Yes. Aizawa is still a guy and works for as part of the SHIELD equivalent. The relationship between heroes and the organisation will be explored later on. For now, let's just say that both sides neither like nor trust each other very much.**

 **Now, a couple of announcements:**

 **1) Among other characters who are still guys, those include Ojiro, Rikidou, Mineta, Iida, Kouda and Shouji. I am almost done with the list of characters who will replace them in Class 1-A but any suggestions are welcome!**

 **2) There is one spot for an OC. I am pretty sure all of you know how to fill in the form for one. So do you Best! PLUS ULTRA!**

 **3) ALSO I am still deciding on whether or not to have this as a harem story. So any input is very valuable to me.**

 **TILL NEXT UPDATE!**


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